As many of you know the sequel to The Winner's Curse came out at the beginning of this month. I love this series so much so I ran to Barnes and Noble to get it the morning it came out. But....they didn't have their copies in yet! I swear I almost cried there on the spot in from of the sales guy. I needed this book so badly though that I headed over to my local independent bookstore and picked up a copy from them. Nobody keeps books from Justine!

This past month I was able to go to an awesome library event. A librarian in my library network had a huge giveaway of tons and tons of 2014 new young adult releases. She was inviting all local librarians to come and browse and pick up as many books as they want for their library and personal collections. My librarians asked me to go with them to help let them know which books they should grab. We probably picked up 5 tote bags of books! Afterwards as a thank you my librarians told me I had to pick a bunch of books for myself. I was super excited because there were tons of books I knew I wanted but I tried very hard to not grab every last book!

Friday, March 27, 2015

The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

REVIEW:

I was a little worried going into The Glass Arrow because back in December I read The Jewel which has a similar plot about woman being auctioned to others to breed that I did not like at all. Thankfully I found no resemble to The Jewel in this book. This plot is handled completely different in The Glass Arrow and is actually not the main focus.

I found this book some what empowering for girls because the main focus and theme I saw present was that girls are their own person. Woman should not be owned or controlled by others. The main character spends the whole book fighting for these rights for woman. I thought this was a fantastic theme that Simmons conveys in this world.

The protagonist Aya was the stand out part of the book for me. Like I said above about woman empowerment, Aya embodies all of that perfectly. She is a fighter and an individual. Family is important to her and she will always fight for them and even sacrifice herself for the ones she loves.I also love seeing girls who are able to fight, take care of themselves, and are not afraid to get dirty. Aya is from the wilderness and because of this she is trained to fight in case of an attack, she knows all about plants and what they can do for your body, she can hunt and knows hot to survive. I loved seeing a strong girl surviving in the wilderness.

About half of the book takes place in the city where Aya is held while captured and the other half takes place out in the woods. The parts of the book where Aya was in captivity I found somewhat uneventful and slow. I was waiting for something to happen and was kind of just dragged along. But I am glad that I dragged along because once the story transitions into the wild it was a great atmosphere. This is where the action and the adventure starts and I found it very enjoyable.

Overall I found The Glass Arrow a entertaining start to a new adventurous series with a stand out character that will inspire young girls.

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Amber Vaughn is a good girl. She sings solos at church, babysits her nephew after school, and spends every Friday night hanging out at her best friend Devon’s house. It’s only when Amber goes exploring in the woods near her home, singing camp songs with the hikers she meets on the Appalachian Trail, that she feels free—and when the bigger world feels just a little bit more in reach.

When Amber learns about an audition at the North Carolina School of the Arts, she decides that her dream—to sing on bigger stages—could also be her ticket to a new life. Devon’s older (and unavailable) brother, Will, helps Amber prepare for her one chance to try out for the hypercompetitive arts school. But the more time Will and Amber spend together, the more complicated their relationship becomes . . . and Amber starts to wonder if she’s such a good girl, after all.

Then, in an afternoon, the bottom drops out of her family’s world—and Amber is faced with an impossible choice between her promise as an artist and the people she loves. Amber always thought she knew what a good girl would do. But between “right” and “wrong,” there’s a whole world of possibilities.

REVIEW:

I had been anticipating this book for a while before it officially came out. First, I fell for the cover and then when I read the synopsis I got super excited for this uplifting and inspirational story. In the end the book turned out to not be what I thought it was going to be.

Like I said above from the synopsis I was expecting this motivational and feel good story. I did not find that in this book. I thought a lot of the book actually dwelled on bad things happening in the characters lives. The main character Amber does not seem happy for almost the whole book. I was thrown back by this because I was so in the mood for this go getter book (as the synopsis sounded hinted at) and that was far from the truth. I thought there might at least be some big "look what you have accomplished" ending but that is not how the book ends at all.

My one main problem with this book which really made me not enjoy the story was the characters. I found all of the characters very boring and I did not like a lot of them. I did not find them to be engaging characters. This led me to not being invested in the characters and as result did not really care how the story ended. This also made me feel very disconnected from the story the whole time.

I feel like No Place to Fall could have been a good book. Sadly, I found it to be deceivingly a downer of a book, slightly boring, and full of bleak characters.

Intrigue abounds in this hotly anticipated sequel to The Kiss of Deception!

Held captive in the barbarian kingdom of Venda, Lia and Rafe have little chance of escape. Desperate to save her life, Lia's erstwhile assassin, Kaden, has told the Vendan Komizar that she has the gift, and the Komizar's interest in Lia is greater than anyone could have foreseen.

Meanwhile, nothing is straightforward: there's Rafe, who lied to Lia, but has sacrificed his freedom to protect her; Kaden, who meant to assassinate her but has now saved her life; and the Vendans, whom Lia always believed to be barbarians. Now that she lives amongst them, however, she realizes that may be far from the truth. Wrestling with her upbringing, her gift, and her sense of self, Lia must make powerful choices that will affect her country... and her own destiny.

COMING JULY 7th 2015

I absolutely loved The Kiss of Deception! I fell in love with the setting, characters, and plot. This book completely blew my mind and I am beyond excited to see what happens to these beloved characters next!

Isa, Xavi, Peter, and Finn know that a job at the high-end Waterside Cafe isn't just about waiting tables. It's about the gossip, the hook-ups, the after-hours parties and, most of all, it's about Tips.

Tips--the high-stakes game based on dares. Whoever completes the most dares wins the collected money. A sum that could change a wasted summer into a Summer to Remember.

Isa is the new girl with an embarrassing secret, and as long as she stays on top of her game, she sees no reason why anyone could ever find out.

Xavi will do anything for the money...absolutely anything.

Peter, Xavi's stepbrother, has been in love with her for years, and he thinks the game is the perfect time to confess his feelings.

Finn is in the game just for the thrill. He has enough tips coming in to keep him happy...even if those tips come with some conditions.

From seduction to stealing to threats, the dares are a complete free-for-all, and only the best can win.

The sophisticated Waterside Cafe is anything but classy behind the scenes...and things are about to get dirty.

COMING JUNE 16th 2015

A behind the scenes game of dare at a local café sounds like a lot of fun and may lead to some awesome shenanigans! This one is high on my TBR list for summer!

A stunning novel about the transformative power of love, perfect for fans of Jay Asher and Laurie Halse Anderson.

Sixteen-year-old physics nerd Aysel is obsessed with plotting her own death. With a mother who can barely look at her without wincing, classmates who whisper behind her back, and a father whose violent crime rocked her small town, Aysel is ready to turn her potential energy into nothingness.

There's only one problem: she's not sure she has the courage to do it alone. But once she discovers a website with a section called Suicide Partners, Aysel's convinced she's found her solution--Roman, a teenage boy who's haunted by a family tragedy, is looking for a partner. Even though Aysel and Roman have nothing in common, they slowly start to fill in each other's broken lives. But as their suicide pact becomes more concrete, Aysel begins to question whether she really wants to go through with it. Ultimately, she must choose between wanting to die or trying to convince Roman to live so they can discover the potential of their energy together.

REVIEW:

My Heart and Other Black Holes is a heart wrenching and beautifully written book.

This book had me writing down quotes like crazy. It seemed on every other page Aysel would say/think something that just made me stop and think or admire the writing. There are tons of stunning quotes about kinetic energy, music, emotions and more. The girls over at Epic Reads actually told me they are planning on doing a post on the best quotes of the book, so stay on the look out for that! Beautifulness aside, the book was in general well written, easy, and fast to read.

I did have one struggle that held me back at the beginning though. At first I had a hard time seeing the chemistry between Aysel and Roman. When they start out as suicide partners that's really all they are, maybe leaning towards a friendship and I had a hard time seeing how this was going to progress to a romantic relationship. They just didn't seem to work together for me. But as the book goes on romantic hints are dropped, they get to know each other better and so do you. While they open up to each other you start to see the romance build and start to realize they are good for each other. This happened about halfway through the book for me.

When you go into this book do not expect a romance with grand gestures or steamy make out scenes. Aysel and Roman do fall in love but the fact is these are two sad and very depressed individuals. I was glad to see that Warga portrayed the romance this way because it was realistic. There are small genuine scenes where you get to see them make each other smile. I liked these subtle scenes because it gives you a tingle of hope that they can save each other. There is one "bigger" kiss scene and Roman does win Aysel a stuffed animal at a carnival but those are the biggest physical romantic gestures you see. Roman is determined to go through with the suicide pact so in his mind Aysel and him won't go on past these couple weeks. There is a romance and it really is beautiful it just is not as intense and steamy as in other young adult novels today.

I absolutely loved seeing Aysel's mind slowly change. It was so hopeful for a teenager to read and see things get better for her. This book also makes you think about the wonderful people you are thankful for in your life. Spending time with Roman and the happiness she feels with him helps her see a future for herself and she tries to do the same for him.

My Heart and Other Black Holes is a magnificently written book about the power of love and that shows teens that things get better.

P.S. Have you looked at the cover yet? It is just as gorgeous as the writing!

Friday, March 6, 2015

If you know me, you know I LOVE March. It is that first glimpse that spring is right around the corner! St. Patrick's day is also my favorite holiday! March 2015 is even better because the sequel to one of my all time favorite books comes out. There are 8 young adult books in total this month that are coming out that I am eagerly anticipating. If you click on the titles below they will send you over to the Goodreads page.

This month I was able to finally go on a long overdue vacation. I got to relax and have a blast. I spent most of my time out of the hotel exploring though so I sadly did not get much reading done while I was away. In February I read five young adult books. I have some catch up to do in March for my Goodreads goal! Check out below to see the books I read this month and the star ratings I gave them! If I have written a review of the book you can click on the title to head over to it, otherwise it will send you to its Goodreads page.

I'm hoping I can read eight or nine books this more and try to get back ahead of my Goodreads goal. Don't forget to comment below and tell me what books you read in February and if you have read any of the books above. I hope you all had a good reading month this March!

About Me

Welcome readers! I am the founder of The Closet Library book blog, thanks for visiting! I am also the president of my library's teen advisory board located in New England. This blog is my own personal blog. Here is where I write reviews of different book titles (usually YA). I love to share my general love of books and reading with all of you guys!
If you are interested in me reviewing your book or being part of an event, please check out my policies page to find out more. Thanks for reading and come back again!